


Vous Et Nul Autre

by PaintingWithWords (paint_with_words)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Fluff, Gift Exchange, Light Angst, M/M, Reincarnation, Secret Skater Gift Exchange, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21924184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paint_with_words/pseuds/PaintingWithWords
Summary: Yuuri and Viktor are soulmates who come back to love one another in life after life.  They carry a few memories with them, experiences from their past lives seared into their souls.  Yuuri has a flash of a memory of their past in Saint Petersburg and wonders if this is one that Viktor also shares.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Comments: 14
Kudos: 71
Collections: Yuri!!! on Ice Secret Skater 2019





	Vous Et Nul Autre

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oceanchariot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceanchariot/gifts).



> My Secret Skater fic is for Wendy Navarrete, who asked for soulmates, and I had a great time writing it. I haven’t done a soulmates fic before, so I hope this is okay! You can find her on [Tumblr](http://oceanchariot.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](http://twitter.com/wendy_n12).

Yuuri blew on his hands to warm them as he looked out over the half-frozen Neva. It was almost six o’clock, but the sun had been down for well over an hour. Night came early in Saint Petersburg during the winter, something that would take some getting used to. Well, he knew he’d done it before in a previous life. He’d just have to learn to do it again in this one. 

He closed his eyes and let the handful of memories he possessed from that past life wash over him. There had been fewer buildings along the banks of the river then and the sheets of ice that clogged the waterways had been thicker and more prevalent. He could even recall what the Neva had looked like during the White Nights, with people happily strolling about in the perpetual twilight of midnight. Come summertime, he was going to make sure that he and Viktor went out and enjoyed some of the festivities that modern-day Saint Petersburg had to offer. 

Yuuri glanced up at the streetlights that poured their pale circles of light on the sidewalk. The lights were powered by LEDs that came on when the amount of light dropped below a certain predetermined level. It was efficient, but it felt cold and impersonal. He much preferred the gas lights that used to be here. They had to be lit by hand every night, but their little orange flames had been so beautiful, casting their warm, golden glow on the street below. How he missed them...

A memory floated up, unbidden, as they often did when he got lost in thought. He could remember standing on a corner, looking up at one of the gas streetlights in wonder. He’d been female in that life and her lover had been at her side, holding a paper cone half-full of roasted nuts in her delicate, slender hands. Her lover’s pale blonde hair was elaborately braided and held back with vibrant crimson ribbons. She laughed and picked a nut from the cone and held it out in her fingers like an offering, her blue eyes sparkling with joy.

But just as suddenly as the memory washed over him, it was gone, leaving Yuuri standing alone by the river, staring up at a streetlight as people hurried by. He let out a sigh, his breath fogging around him. How he wished he could remember more of that life and who they’d been. Because he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the young woman who had been by his side was now Viktor. They were soulmates, bound to one another through life after life. They had loved one another time and time again, no matter what bodies they wore. But the details? The details of those lives were lost to him.

Viktor had his own visions of who they’d been before, but they were just as scattered and fleeting as Yuuri’s. He remembered when Viktor arrived in Hatsetsu all those years ago and marveled at how the once sleepy little fishing village had grown.

In the springtime, with the sakuras and wisterias in full bloom, they had sat in front of Hasetsu Castle with a picnic lunch spread between them. Suddenly, out of the blue, Viktor had turned and looked at the Castle, his eyes growing wide as he pointed at it.

“Ninjas!” he’d yelped. “ _Ninjas_ used to be there!”

“Really? Ninjas?” All Yuuri could do was shake his head and laugh. He didn’t remember ninjas, but did he wish he could…

Days later, when they had walked together hand in hand on the beach, Viktor had suddenly looked out over the sand and gasped. 

“Our daughter took her first steps here!” he’d cried. He’d let go of Yuuri’s hand and ran along the beach, laughing. 

Yuuri had gazed down and there, floating up from his memories, was the sight of a barefoot little girl, toddling her way towards him, her mother behind her with her hands out, ready to catch her if she should fall. Overjoyed, Yuuri had run after Viktor, only to be brought up short when Viktor abruptly stopped and looked out over the sea.

“And I stood here,” Viktor whispered, hugging himself, “waiting for you to come home.” Quietly, Yuuri came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Viktor and held him while tears silently rolled down Viktor’s face.

Back at home, when Yuuri had asked about it, Viktor had brushed it aside, clearly not wanting to discuss or relive that painful memory again.

“You worry about the past too much,” Viktor said. “Who we were and what we went through doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s enough to know that I’m yours and you’re mine and that we always find our way back to one another. That’s all we really need.”

Viktor was right, of course. Viktor was always right. Nevertheless, Yuuri still wished he knew more. 

* * *

“Tadaima,” Yuuri called out as he pulled his keys out of the lock and opened the front door. He heard the familiar scrape of claws on the hardwood floor and, sure enough, Makkachin was trotting towards him. Viktor was right behind her, his footsteps muffled by his thick wool socks. 

“Okaeri,” Viktor replied, slipping his hands inside Yuuri’s coat. He leaned into Viktor’s touch, enjoying the warmth that always bloomed between them, and rose up on his toes to kiss his husband.

“I know you just got home,” Viktor murmured apologetically, “but do you think we could go out to dinner tonight? I’ve been grading tests all afternoon and I need to get out of the house for a while.”

“Of course,” Yuuri replied, eyeing the stack of papers and the red pen atop them on the couch. Viktor always got a little restless when he was grading and Yuuri knew a little time away would give him a second wind.

“Great!” Viktor said, practically bouncing on his toes. Yuuri gave Makkachin a good scratch behind the ears and let her out the back door while Viktor grabbed his things. He knew that she would be quick, considering the weather. He made sure there was plenty of food and water in her bowls and toweled her off when she shot back in from the cold, shaking the snow from her paws. Once his shoes were on, Viktor put on his coat and tucked his wallet and phone into his back pockets. 

“Georgi says there’s a new restaurant that opened up a few blocks away that I want to try out,” Viktor said as they walked. “He said their pelmeni is to die for.”

Georgi, as it turned out, was right. The pelmeni Viktor had ordered were delicious, as were the kotleti and potatoes. After dinner, Viktor didn’t want to go directly back home.

“Let’s take a walk around the park,” he said, putting his arm in Yuuri’s. “It’s stopped snowing for now.”

“Okay,” Yuuri agreed. With Viktor by his side, the perpetual grey gloom of winter in Saint Petersburg seemed to lighten and lift. 

A short distance away was a small park, one that they often took Makkachin to when the weather permitted. A few street vendors had set up shop on the outskirts of the park, offering a variety of food and drink. Viktor got a cup of spiced wine to share as they drifted along, looking at the other offerings.

The first cart had little piroshkis stuffed with cherries and apples, manned by a blond teen who seemed less than happy about being out in the cold. Another offered little layered cakes covered in nuts and honey. They had almost passed the food carts when Yuuri caught the fragrant scent of roasted nuts. He closed his eyes and, once again, the memory of the young woman holding a paper bag half-full of nuts rose to the forefront. 

Did Viktor share this memory, too? Had it written itself onto Viktor’s soul just like it had on his? Perhaps he needed a little something to jog it, help it rise to the surface…

“Vitya,” Yuuri said, steering his husband in the direction of the cart, “let’s get some nuts!”

A woman with hair so red it couldn’t be quite natural smiled at them from behind the cart. In front of her were several rows of paper cups filled with a variety of nuts. All of them looked amazing.

“What flavors do you have?” Yuuri asked.

“Sugar, cinnamon, and plain,” she replied. “Would you like a sample?”

“Yes please,” he answered. “One of each.” He wrapped his hands around Viktor’s arm and leaned against him, almost giddy. 

Smiling, the young woman put samples of each kind in two smaller cups and handed them to Yuuri and Viktor. They were even more delicious than they looked. When they were done, the young woman asked, “Which kind do you want?”

Before Viktor could answer, Yuuri blurted out, “All of them!” Next to him, Viktor laughed, but didn’t try to stop him as he fished his wallet out of his back pocket. 

The young woman plucked the cups from the rack and placed them in a paper bag. Yuuri handed her a few bills and she handed him the bag, along with her business card. 

“We have a shop a couple of kilometers from here,” she said. “Come by and see us!”

Yuuri nodded politely as he led Viktor away, clutching the warm bag in his hands. He opened it and fed Viktor one of the cinnamon-coated nuts. Humming, Viktor happily ate it, while Yuuri looked for a sign—any sign—of recognition. But none were forthcoming.

“Their nuts were good,” Viktor said as Yuuri fed him another, “but I think one kind would have been fine. Why did you decide on all three?”

“When I was on the way home,” Yuuri said as they turned the corner, “I looked out over the Neva and I had a memory of when we were here before. I could see you holding out a nut to me, just like this-” he held one out to Viktor, offering it to his husband the same way it had been offered to him all those years ago- “and I was hoping that maybe you’d remember it, too.”

Viktor allowed Yuuri to feed him again, a thoughtful expression on his face. “What else do you remember?” he encouraged.

“We were walking beside the Neva, under the streetlights,” Yuuri murmured. As they neared a streetlight, Viktor closed his eyes and they slowed their pace. 

“I was looking up at one and you were beside me, holding a bag of nuts. We were both women and your long blonde hair was held back with red ribbons. You were laughing and you took a nut out of the bag and held it out to me. That’s… that’s all I remember.”

They stopped and stood under the streetlight, Viktor still with his eyes closed, trying to remember. Yuuri held still beside him, hopeful. Sometimes, when they talked about what one of them remembered, it would stir the memory in the other. Those moments were precious, like finding buried treasure, long lost and forgotten. 

After a moment, Viktor opened his eyes and gave him a sad smile.

“I’m afraid I don’t remember,” he said quietly. Yuuri sighed and tried not to be disappointed. They didn’t always remember the same things. Yuuri remembered more of Saint Petersburg than Viktor did and Viktor recalled more about their past lives in Hasetsu. 

“Ah, that’s okay,” Yuuri murmured, patting Viktor’s arm. “I was just hoping…”

“I know, love,” Viktor said, leaning in to kiss him. He rested their foreheads together, his fingers coming up to brush at the nape of Yuuri’s neck. He was about to say something more when he stopped, his eyes getting that telltale faraway look that meant he was lost in a memory. Yuuri held silent and still, not wanting to disturb Viktor.

“Wait, I do remember something,” he whispered at last, his fingers ghosting over the nape of his neck in a caress. Excitement shot through Yuuri like an electric shock and he sucked in a breath, but otherwise stayed still.

“You gave me the ribbons,” Viktor continued, his fingers still resting on the back of Yuuri’s neck. “I remember you brushed my hair and tied it back with them… the ribbons were red, a bright crimson red…” He ran his hand through Yuuri’s hair, his fingers trailing down the back of Yuuri’s coat almost like he was running them through long hair.

They stayed like that for a moment, pressed close under the light, until a woman said, “Pardon me,” and squeezed past them, leading her small dog on a leash. They apologized and moved out of the way to let her pass. The moment gone, they shared another kiss and started back towards home.

“Maybe we should take a walk along the Neva this weekend,” Viktor offered, his breath puffing out in a little cloud. “Maybe I’ll remember more.”

“We could do that, if you want,” Yuuri replied. But honestly, he was just happy that they could remember anything at all. So many soulmates, like Yuuko and Takeshi, recalled nothing. He knew they were lucky.

When they got home, Yuuri started a fire for them. Viktor put his stack of papers in the study. “They’ll be there in the morning,” he murmured, sitting down beside Yuuri on the couch. “Right now, I just want to spend time with you. You and no one else.”

Yuuri leaned into his husband and sighed. They had loved one another before and would love one another again. But, right now, they had one another. And that was more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Comments, kudos, and shares are worth their weight in gold, baby!
> 
> Happy holidays!


End file.
